Update On Our CCTV Camera Network

Crime is a sombre reality in South Africa that costs us dearly. Emotionally, living in fear drains us and financially, unplanned expenses due to theft can leave us grasping at straws. To do our part in creating a safer space for us all to share we are expanding and upgrading the CCTV camera network in the Maitland City Improvement District (MAITCID). 

The expansion supports our other public safety and urban management activities by sustainably decreasing criminal activity. 

In conjunction with the City of Cape Town, The SAPS, Neighbourhood Watch groups, local businesses and private individuals, we are a pivotal member of a Public Safety network with cameras that have eyesight over the critical locations of our CID. Allowing us to see the entire  Maitland City Improvement District and intervene in all types of crimes to make our community safer.

Organized criminal activity targeting theft and vandalism of electrical components cost Eskom an estimated R69 000 000 in the last 18 months alone according to CEO  Andre de Ruyter. The damages to local businesses caused by interrupted power are incalculable, especially in mixed-use and industrial areas like the MAITCID. 

The Maitland City Improvement District’s road and communications infrastructure is also being crippled by vandalism and robbery, resulting in key road intersections, cell phone towers, and fibre networks being rendered inoperable. 

By expanding our CCTV surveillance we hope to be a significant contributor to creating a collaborative city-wide surveillance system that will prevent, identify, and neutralise criminal activity in real-time. We also know that our systems will help lawyers bring more criminals to justice and alleviate some of the load on our judicial system as they make the conviction process clearer and quicker. 

Our network is so effective due to our multifaceted approach to both the camera hardware and the data management of the surveillance systems. Our cameras are monitored on a 24/7 basis by a centralised control centre meaning we can track and stop criminal activity across districts in real-time. 

Our Cameras 

We use three types of cameras, some with infrared capabilities to see even in the dark.

– Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras – These can be rotated by our trained operators to track people acting suspiciously even after they think they have walked out of frame.

– Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras – These are static cameras reading licence plates of vehicles.  The CID belongs to a recognised, well-organised user group that holds a database of suspicious vehicles.  Our LPR software generates alerts when such vehicles enter our Improvement District and place us on high alert.  Should the occupants act suspiciously we have the option of alerting the local SAPS sector patrol vehicles.

– Static cameras enabled with artificial intelligence functionality – These are static cameras and can be focused on hotspots or boundary areas such as fences.  The cameras detect the movement of vehicles and people and alert our control room and patrol vehicles of such activity.

 Our Data Management

• Our Artificial Intelligence Cameras and Software detects even the slightest movements which help our personnel see potentially hidden persons and suspicious activities.  
• Video Analytics can be used to interpret, study and project criminal behavioural patterns which help us aid the SAPS to bring down the syndicates that are disrupting our peace. 

Our expansion of the CCTV network is one example of how we are trying to make our community a more profitable business and residential node by creating holistic urban regeneration programmes. 

Landlords, business owners and residents of the MAITCID can expect: 

• A continued effort to decrease crime. 
• Targeted intervention by our public safety teams
• Improved response time
• 24/7 monitoring by our control room.
• Foot and vehicle patrol teams, law enforcement officers and the police equipped with essential live information to improve arrest rates. 
• Prevention of more incidents due to the improved directing of resources. 
• Reduced false reporting of incidences due to our ability to validate the claim instantly.
• Progress on creating a Unified City-Wide Public Safety Network.

We are improving our public safety plan by: 

• Surveying the entire Maitland City Improvement District to identify vulnerable points to inform the next extension of our CCTV network. 
• Targeting public safety efforts on infrastructure crime to safeguard the continuous supply of energy, water, sanitation, communication infrastructure and access to transportation.
• Implementing mechanisms to alert our management and public safety teams to early warning signs of threats so that the distribution of our safety resources can be optimised.  

The manufacturing, education, property, hospitality and public transport industries form the backbone of our community’s livelihoods. Ultimately, our goal is to protect the people and the resources of the institutions they serve within the MAITCID.  

Our sophisticated CCTV cameras use the latest technological advancements so we can streamline our prevention and intervention efforts and help bring criminals to justice.

With your help and investment, we step closer to a safer South Africa every day. And so many of you already do remarkable work in the Maitland City Improvement District. We would love to hear your #GoodNews and how you are making our area a better place. 

To share your story with us and stand a chance to be featured in one of our future newsletters email us at media@geocentric.co.za

If you have any safety concerns to report, please contact one of the following numbers:

·       10111 – SAPS (South African Police Services)

·        107 – City of Cape Town Disaster Management

·        021 565 0900 – Geocentric Control Room